January tends to be the month when most businesses start taking on new members of staff. Many of us start the new year with a mindset of “new year, new start” and business owners also tend to have resolutions revolving around expansion and improvement. Taking on new staff can help them to start their year out on a new page and can also help with business productivity. So, if you’re taking on new staff. It’s time to start advertising the positions you have available and see what applications come through. Now, there are certain checks that you should always carry out before offering up any contracts. Here are a few to bear in mind.

Criminal History

It’s always best to be aware of your staff member’s criminal history. For many job roles, it’s not necessary for workers to declare anything. For others, where individuals may be interacting with vulnerable members of society (such as children, the elderly, and the disabled) a check may be a legal necessity. Either way, you are always in your right to request a DBS or CRB check. This gives you access to their basic criminal history record and will contain details of any unspent convictions. If this sounds like something that you’d be interested in, use uCheck’s personnel checks website. You can expect checks to be completed within 3 – 10 working days.

Interviews

One of the most commonly carried out checks in the business owner’s toolbox is an interview. While someone may seem perfect on paper, they could prove to be less than desirable once you meet them in person. Why? Well, because character and attitude can make all the difference when it comes to deciding whether someone will bring the right mindset to their work and whether they will fit in well with both your brand’s ethics and any existing members of staff that you may have. So, gather up any resumes that catch your eye and offer the potential candidates interviews. Getting to know them on a more personal basis will help to make the final decision more simple. Just make sure to have plenty of suitable and relevant questions!

References

It’s not always necessary for people to include references on their resume. But it’s always a good idea to request them. Why? Well, it means that you can get a previous employer’s honest opinion of the person who is looking to join your company. You will only really check these towards the end of the hiring process. Generally, you will get the thumbs up. This is essentially a green light to go ahead with offering the individual the position. But every now and then you will hear reports of lateness, unexplained absences, lack of productivity, bad customer service or even antisocial behaviour. In cases such as these, you’ll know that this person may be worth avoiding as a potential employee. Sure, sometimes people’s behaviour can change, and people may deserve a second chance. But at the end of the day, you’re going to be paying them to fulfil a particular role within your company, and you want to be as certain as possible that you’re going to get your money’s worth.

Following these checks will help you to find the best employees for the role that you’re offering!